My Dream, My Life
by Marine Brother Shran
Summary: Samus Aran, the new Brawler of Brawler is intrigued by the enigma Zelda. Curiosity piques her interest as she tries to solve the mystery behind her. But what she finds is more than she could ever ask for. Samus & Zelda
1. Chapter 1

**My Dream, My Life**

**Chapter I**

**Summary: Samus Aran, the new Brawler of Brawler is intrigued by the enigma Zelda. Curiosity piques her interest as she tries to solve the mystery behind her. But what she finds is more than she could ever ask for.**

Smash City: grand central metropolis of glorified gladiatorial combat.

Warriors from across the cosmos and dimensions gather to compete in the Super Smash Brothers League. Heroes and villains alike, drawn together by the powers of Master and Crazy Hands, pit their skills against one another for whatever reason that drives them. For some it's the thrill and rush of battle and the roar of the crowds, the ever beating drums of war. For others it's a grand test of their skills against the abilities of others. For others it's the money. Or merely for the sake of the good fight.

Regardless it is here these warriors compete in war games and duels, flaunting their capabilities in a grandiose arenas for the entertainment for the masses. Of these events, none could compare to the most common and most famous event of them all: Brawls. The primary event of the city and staple source of entertainment, all competitors regularly find themselves in the middle of the various rings that dot the city, staring down foes who all vie for the same thing; prize money, a person, or even some object in dispute in a glorious Trial of Possession.

Today was no exception.

"COMPETITOR DEFEATED!" Mario careened across the sky in a fiery blaze.

The last two days played host to a special event: a grand tournament between the top 16 fighters in the entire league's history. In bouts of sudden elimination combat, they fought furiously up to the top of the tree for a chance to the championship battle and claim the prize and the title: "Brawler of Brawlers". Among them were warriors of legends, champions of longstanding reputations and popularity. Venerable warriors such as Link of Hyrule, Samus Aran the bounty hunter, Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom, and Pikachu from Pallet Town fought in this very ring, while newcomers such as Solid Snake of America, who had taken the scene by storm, joined in on the competition. By the end of it all, it had narrowed down to a climatic match between the four greatest of them all: Link, Samus, Mario, and Snake.

But due to unfortunate circumstances, Mario had been the first to be eliminated.

The arena was teeming with excitement. The air was buzzing as the mass watched Samus, Link, and Snake stare down one another. Money constantly changed hands as people betted against one another. Who would win? Who would lose? How would one or another be taken out? How long would the match last? Many were on the edge of their seats as they waited with bated breath. Across the arena loyal fans sat in their corners, waving the colours of their favoured champion. Lights flashed as banners and advertisements scrolled across the screens.

It was just another day in Smash City.

All three suddenly leapt forward in a last dash for the prize. Link war cried in a rush to strike down Samus. She ducked down into her morph ball rolling under Link's slash and charged straight on towards Snake switching back in the process. Snake drew his knife to strike the exposed inner mesh. Samus quickly grabbed Snake by the scruff of his shirt, tossing him aside like a ragdoll.

Hearing Link's battle cry, Samus tossed out grapple beam, ensnaring him and threw him across the arena. Her momentary distraction cost her as she stumbled back from a punch to her head before Snake slapped a charge of C4 against her torso. The explosion knocked her off her feet. Instincts taking over, Samus flipped in the air and landed in a crouch. She glared at him and ran forward.

Pulling a smoke bomb from his belt, Snake tossed it ahead to screen himself. He quickly withdrew and unstrapped the RPG on his back, shouldered the weapon and prepared to fire only for the barrel of Samus' power beam to suddenly cut through the smoke. He barely registered the hum Samus' weapon before hearing, "You lose." His vision flashed as he was engulfed in a ball of light, ending his attempt for the prize.

"COMPETITOR DEFEATED!" the PA boomed again.

Samus suddenly ducked, Link's sword narrowly missing her head by millimetres. She fired a missile in response to only harmlessly deflect off his shield. Rolling away from his next attack she quickly sweeps his feet out from underneath and hammer fists his stomach, flattening him.

Grabbing the fallen warrior she tosses him high into the air, launching a super missile after him. She scoffed in minor disbelief as Link recovers in time to block the missile with his shield. The resulting explosion sends him crashing back down. Samus advances to press the advantage.

Link dug the Master Sword into the ground as he used it as a crutch to help himself up. Samus had become so much stronger. A feral grin crossed his features as the armoured warrior quickly approached him. It felt like he was starting down an entire legion of armoured knights. He couldn't help but be amazed by how much more ruthlessly efficient she had become. But despite his admiration he didn't plan on losing. This would be his victory; not Samus's. With renewed vigour, Link forced himself upright and immediately drew his bow and arrow and took aim.

Samus hardly had time to react before the bolt exploded against her amour before Link's Master Sword cut through the smoke. The field ringed as the Master Sword struck Samus' armour. Kicking off, Link ripped the blade free from wherever he struck and charged again. A hand suddenly shoots out from the clearing smoke grabbing the blade and tosses him towards the edge of the ring. Samus runs up and kicks him into the air, following up with another super missile, trained straight for Link as it exploded on contact, denying him victory.

The entire arena erupted in an explosion of cheers and applause, endlessly chanting her name.

Samus! Samus! Samus!

On and on the crowd chants as the new champion rose to her full height. She seemingly looks at them, taking in their applause and adoration. But in reality she sneers at them from behind her visor. What they reaped were the benefits of twenty years worth of pain and hardship. All the skills and abilities she had she gained through suffering. Suffering that they would never know. And it only intensified as a small platform materialized in front of her. From there the presenter of the belt and prize money would appear.

Samus' irritation was masked behind her visor. She didn't care for pomp and ceremony. But it was par the course to her chagrin. She would bear it as best she could. But she would keep it short. No speeches. No special ceremonial presentation. No delays. She would take her prize, and leave. And at times she wondered why she bothered to compete. And always she'd remind herself why she fought.

Money.

She'd almost declined when she first got the invitation. There were hardly 16 warriors who were that strong. And after today's performance in the ring, she could say with absolute confidence that the league did not have 16 warriors of comparative rank. For that matter, she noted some of the warriors she expected didn't compete. Clearly they had either retired or were eliminated in their home worlds. What had once been a challenge was nothing more than a boring past time. Her handle stilled though when she noticed something in the invitation.

A grand cash prize.

Hosted by Princess Zelda of Hyrule, she'd been cordially invited to compete for the title of "Brawler of Brawlers", and a cash prize of 100,000 rupees. Converted into Federation Credits, the resulting value supplemented a massive portion of her yearly income. What good bounty hunter could resist such an amount? Add on to the fact her gunship needed repairs from her actions on Phaaze and she couldn't say no.

So that was how she ended up here, ready and waiting for the Princess to present her the reward.

The plan was simple: Enter and win the competition, claim her award and cash it, and leave. That was all there was to it.

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Zelda took a steady breath as she prepared to step on the teleport platform. It would take her to the arena center where she would present the champion her title belt and prize money. That was there was to it. Or at least she initially thought.

Watching the competition from beginning to end, Zelda found herself enthralled by the champion known as Samus Aran. She'd mistaken Samus as male until reading the registration forms that clearly stated female. The knowledge fuelled her curiosity of the armour-clad warrior, who'd yet to reveal her face. She was in awe with what she'd seen. She was fast. And she was strong. Samus stood out among all the competitors. She clearly stood on a different level than everyone else; even that of her champion Link.

But what stood out even more than her impressive performance, was what she saw in Samus' profile picture. One of the few rare documented occurrences she'd been forced to take off her helmet. The moment Zelda had laid eyes on it she felt something towards the blond warrior. The feelings the image invoked had her wonder if it had something to do with recent dreams. The feeling only continued to grow more through the passing days, nagging at her like a persistent fly. Catching her momentary lapse Zelda shook her head clear of the thoughts. There were better times to dwell on it than now.

Zelda smiled to herself as she stepped onto the platform. It was time to meet Samus.

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Samus watched as Princess Zelda materialized. She recognized her, remembering she hadn't been impressed with her both as a fighter and as a princess. As a fighter, her combat capabilities were amateur at best. Nearly everyone she knew surpassed the princess in skill and experience. Her only real advantages were the alternate form she saw her used, and her magic. But even then Zelda's utilization was dismal at best. She recalled that the 'princess' relied heavily on that alternate form she uses. It was more of a crutch than an ability.

As a princess, she didn't like what she saw. Hosting a tournament instead of running her kingdom and funding it from her land's coffers lowered Samus's opinion of her. While arguably her coffers were deep, it was such a wasted expenditure. Of course Samus had no issues about where the money came from; money's money. So what did she care?

She gave Zelda a once over. Her dress wasn't particularly ordinate or special. It looked like an overly embellished nightgown. But noting the amount of ornate patterns, trimmings, and jewellery that embellished it, it was definitely a princess' dress. No ifs ands or buts. It was merely simple; by royal standards. And it didn't look overly restrictive. Whoever tailored it had considered comfort and a certain degree of usefulness in its design. And it looked like she wore boots for daily wear, instead of something elegant such as heels.

She eventually glanced at Zelda's face. She wore an expression Samus often associated with those of royal background. The princess wore no makeup, but the clothes she wore and the way her violet-blue eyes stared at her spoke volumes behind whom and what she was: a princess. She could almost be considered human, if it were not for her pointed ears. Her first impression had been an Elf, but that was quickly dispelled with a bit of research.

Stepping off the platform, Zelda took a moment to appraise Samus as well. The armoured warrior towered well above her. Zelda only reached up to Samus' chest. She was an embodiment of solid metal, save for the large gash on her chest left by Link's Master Sword. No signs of organic life could be seen, all hidden behind the red and orange armour that had protected her throughout the battle. A green visor stared blankly at her, hiding the person within behind a veil of cold glass and steel.

"I congratulate you on your victory, Samus Aran," Zelda politely greeted. Samus said nothing waiting for Zelda to hand her the prize money so that she could finally leave. Zelda pondered momentarily on Samus's lack of speech, but thought nothing on it. She had heard she wasn't much of a talker in any case.

Of course, there were ways to get even the most stoic of characters to acquiesce and speak. "Samus, may I ask that you at least show your face to me, before I present to you your prize."

"What difference does it make?" Samus answered in return.

Unfazed by the huntress' distorted voice Zelda smiled lightly towards the taller woman and said, "I wish to meet the warrior behind the suit."

"I could simply take the prize money from your hands," she stated.

The princess seemed to consider it a moment, but then strangely smiled and said, "You could try."

Samus fell silent; considering her options. She glanced down at Zelda's hands, noting a belt and a data pad. Behind her visor her eyes narrowed at the electronic device. An electronic invoice. She scoffed realizing that Zelda could easily cancel the transfer. Leaning back she looked around, seeing the crowd's eyes were on them. They most definitely heard Zelda's request. She glared at the princess again. She hadn't planned for this, but there was nothing else she could do now. She'd have to give in. Closing her eyes she accessed the commands to deactivate her suit.

Zelda watched as the armour lightly glowed and then shatter into tiny pieces, breaking away from Samus' body as the particles travelled along her arms and legs, gathering to some point on her chest. Samus' hands and feet were the first to be revealed. Through the haze Zelda could see a blue jumpsuit underneath. More and more of the armour continued to recede until it all finally disappeared into a sigil on her chest, revealing the athletic form of one Samus Aran.

Much to Zelda's surprise, Samus's appearance was nothing like she had imagined. Without her armour it was clear her height was not exaggerated, standing at 6'3" she was incredibly tall by many standards.

From the appearance of the armour, Zelda had believed that underneath her metal exterior was a massive brute that could match the strength and power that she brought forth. Her assumptions were dashed away as she studied the woman before her. Despite her masculine stance she could still see feminine traits hidden beneath her cold exterior. Her body was perfection, elegance, and athletics incarnate. Flowing curves in all the right places, taut muscles, lithe form; Samus was a shining example of womanhood. And the jumpsuit she wore failed to hide her assets, leaving very little to the imagination, further accentuating her femininity. But despite it all, Zelda was glad of what Samus truly looked like was nothing of what she and many others thought her to be.

Her face was just as equally elegant. Long blond hair held up in a high ponytail adorned her features, with strands framing either sides of her face that reached down to her chin. She had a pale complexion from lack of being out of her suit. However, what took her attention most was the gaze her ice blue eyes held. It radiated confidence, and cold indifference. Gazing up at the powerful woman, Zelda felt that if Samus wanted to she could easily snap her in two without a second thought. She had the eyes of someone who had seen so much war and bloodshed. But underneath that cold uncaring gaze Zelda felt she could see a gate that led to the soul of Samus Aran. The very core of who she was and her nature. Something told her that the person before her was nothing but a mask, a gate hiding the true Samus Aran; one who rarely saw the light of day. She blushed when she realized that she had been staring for some time, and took a moment to recompose herself.

Samus let out an internal sigh. Yet another person who made assumptions of what she looked like underneath the suit. Although it was no different than any other person who had never seen her true body, it still bothered her to no end. Perhaps it was because of the way she carried herself or never really disclosed her gender, but somehow, she was always the opposite of what people expected.

"Are you done staring?" Samus quietly asked the princess, a bit irate that she was being held up a lot longer than she planned or expected.

Once again Samus took the princess by surprise. She sounded almost nothing like she expected. While Zelda had expected a deep voice, she had thought it would take on a much more masculine quality. Instead Samus' voice held a deep rich sound. There were no other words that could really describe the pleasant sounds she heard coming from the blonde before her.

"Forgive me but…you're quite different from what many say you are," Zelda commented. Samus gave her a flat stare, impatiently waiting for Zelda to give the prize. The princess' expression relaxed as she lightly smiled and said, "I'm glad."

It took a moment for the words to sink in before Samus finally responded. "'xcuse me?" She was unsure what Zelda meant saying she was glad Samus was different. Samus also noted that this was private, as it didn't sound like this was being broadcasted.

"People say you're a freakish brute with monstrous muscles," Zelda calmly elaborated, maintaining a calm composure and presence. "I for one am glad you're nothing like they say. It makes me feel at ease to know there are still beautiful amazons out there."

Samus expression was one of surprise. She hated being called an Amazon, often uttered by those who've earned her ire or by women who lived in such pampered lives, believing their way of life was the only way of life a woman should live. And yet somehow, from Zelda it sounded something soothing, something akin more to a compliment than an insult. Although puzzling she put the thought aside. Soon she would be gone and this matter would be forgotten. She wouldn't see Zelda ever again after today.

"Samus Aran, for your stunning performance and display throughout this tournament," Zelda proclaimed, her voice booming across the stadium, "it is my pleasure to present you the title, Brawler of Brawlers." Almost instantaneously the crowd exploded again into joyous uproar for the champion. Zelda held out her hands, passing the belt and prize money to Samus. She accepted the pad and tossed the belt over her shoulders.

Wordlessly she called up a teleport platform and left, leaving the stadium stunned and surprised from her sudden departure. Recovering from her surprise, the princess gathered her composure and left the stadium as well, leaving the crowd to their own devices.

Returning to the waiting room, Samus let out a tired sigh and quickly headed towards the exit. She would leave within the hour.

She hardly took more than five steps from the door when someone suddenly called her out. "Samus, could I have a moment please?" She slowly turned around to see Zelda catching up to her.

"Yes, princess?" Samus calmly answered as Zelda approached.

"I wanted to know if you would like to join me for dinner," she proposed.

"No thank you."

Zelda stared at Samus dumbly for a few moments having not expecting her terse response. She took a moment to recompose before responding. "I see," she said. "I apologize for taking up your time. I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavours." Zelda bowed respectfully, and offered Samus one last smile before turning around.

Samus watched princess' retreating back as she lightly pondered about her. She was definitely different from the ones she'd seen and encountered. She still thought that the princess was a fool to squander her treasury, but Zelda definitely didn't behave like a spoiled one. If anything, she was one of those rare one-in-a-million princesses that were raised well, or had gone through some hardships that imposed a certain sense of modesty and control within them.

Looking down at her prize, Samus raised an eyebrow reading the accounting number the 100,000 rupees was coming from. She knew that the Hyrulian kingdom had its own galactic account number to keep track of trade, but if she read this correctly, this was not from the kingdom's coffers.

This was from Princess Zelda's personal funds.

"Hmm…an interesting princess indeed," Samus smirked, making her way towards the nearest bank to cash in her prize. Perhaps she needed to slightly re-evaluate her opinion of the princess. "Interesting indeed…"

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After wading through crowds of fans and reporters wanting her autograph and comments about the match, Samus eventually made her way to the nearest bank teller to convert her prize into Galactic Credits.

As she waited for the converted credits, and thankfully in private, Samus glanced over at the nearby TV screen displaying the remaining matches for the day. Reading them over none of them held her interest. She did, however, note that some of the competitors from the tournament were already in the ring again. They were definitely tenacious.

"It seems Princess Zelda's up for a match," the teller commented, returning with her converted credits.

Accepting the pad and nodding in thanks, Samus glanced up at the display to see that Zelda was about to start a match. She noted who she was supposed to fight. Among the three opponents was none other than Captain Falcon. While quite the eccentric man, Captain Falcon was a bit of a wild fighter and would most likely dominate. Zelda's other two opponents were Bowser and Ike. Despite the fact they had just competed, they were more than likely well rested and ready to go for another match.

Curiosity nagged her as she quietly walked through the quiet halls. A part of her was interested to see the curious princess compete in this exhibition match, to see what she could do against such a match-up. However, the other part of her had already decided that she would lose. She lacked combat experience and competent training. She would be the first to lose, especially against two combat veterans and a monstrous creature that could crush her in an instant. Then there was the timetable that she set out. She got her money. She already got what she came for.

Her walk took her by one of the gates that led to the stadium Zelda was fighting in. To her surprise, from the gates she could hear the crowd cheering for a name she had expected.

"Zelda! Zelda! Zelda!" It was surprisingly deafening for someone she had deemed an ineffective combatant.

"Just what exactly is going on," she mumbled, walking through the door and looked out towards the stadium. To her great surprise, Zelda was doing well. Better than well Samus grudgingly admitted, the princess was holding her ground and surviving. Of her three opponents, Bowser and Ike were already eliminated. Glancing at the scoreboard, it was a 3-round Survival Match, and Captain Falcon was in the lead with 2 ring-outs left, while Zelda was down to her remaining one.

However, that quickly changed when Zelda suddenly fired off a spell sending Falcon clear off the ring and into the shielding around the stands.

Samus felt her jaw dropped in surprise. Falcon had her. He'd been ready to punch her right out of the ring and end it, but the princess pulled a fast one and quickly turned it around for herself. Around her, the crowd continued to cheer loudly for Zelda as they watched her square off with Falcon for the last round.

A few random items appeared before them but neither took thought of it. Falcon began to circle the girl looking for his moment to strike while Zelda simply maintained a cool steady gaze on him readying for his attack. Despite the cheering and noise of the crowd, tension mounted as the seconds passed. Neither warriors were ready to give ground, nor were they going to let their opponents take that ground. Both were determined to be victorious.

Samus watched the match closely. She realized that her knowledge on Zelda was now incredibly dated. Had she been matched up against the princess, she'd most likely have paid for her misguided confidence while in the ring; possibly even losing to her by some margin. Samus prided herself in her ability to be ready for any situation, which included studying those whom she deemed weak. A mistake she just made with Zelda by disregarding her completely. This was a new development she hadn't considered. From the stands, she carefully watched as the match unfolded. She would learn what she can.

Captain Falcon dashes forward, his arm reared back to unleash his signature attack. His fist, aflame with power, was aimed straight on for Zelda. Despite his respect for Zelda as a fellow fighter, there was no way he was allowing her to defeat him in combat. Not because he was a man and she a woman, but because it was a matter of personal pride as one of the strongest Smashers here. He could not lose. Not now.

"FALCON PUNCH!" he bellowed as punched.

"What the hell?!" Samus gasped. Falcon's attack went straight through Zelda, dispersing the afterimage, leaving behind a very confused and surprised Falcon. "How the hell-"

Words became lost to Samus as from behind Falcon, Zelda materialized and launched a fireball at his unprotected back, knocking him forward. She immediately followed with a levitation spell and threw Falcon high into the air. Wrapping her magic rocks and weapons strewn around her she telekinetically hurled them towards Falcon, barraging him with a plethora of objects and debris. Her ammunition spend, Zelda re-established her grip upon Falcon and hurled him straight down into a pillar of earth she summoned at the same time.

The crowd reacted to the sight of the captain smashing into the pillar as he screamed in pain.

Focusing power into her hand, Zelda unleashed her final attack as a massive ball of energy struck Falcon, exploding on contact as it sent him clear of the ring.

"THE WINNER IS ZELDA!" the PA roared.

"What the hell just happened?!" Samus muttered, dumbfounded. She had made a critical error in judgement. Relying on old data would've been a costly and embarrassing mistake. Skill wise there was still no comparison, but she had no data on Zelda's magic. Illusions, levitation, teleportation, summoning; it was very likely that Zelda knew a lot more spells than what she presented today. The bounty hunter had seen the princess use magic before, but not to this extent.

"Just what the hell is she?" she wondered aloud. Noting how rambunctious the crowd was becoming, she made a quick exit, lest she get caught up in the celebrations.

She knew she couldn't leave now, not with this new discovery. What started off as an interesting encounter quickly evolved into outright curiosity and a need to have her questions answered. Although she had cleared her schedule to make the tournament, she was somewhat glad she had no jobs waiting for her. She had all the time needed to answer her question.

But did she want to stay long enough to have her questions answered? She could look up Zelda's profile in the League's databanks; both the public and private files. It would be a lot easier to find her answers that way. But the problem was it was just data. Raw data. It'd only give her half of the equation that was Princess Zelda. She'd have to get to know her personally to find all the answers. She needed to know how she thought. How she viewed things. How she handled things. She needed to know what made the princess tick if she wanted to beat her soundly. She might even catch a glimpse of her training; see what she could do and what she was made of. Maybe even see who taught her the skills she used today.

Unfortunately, she couldn't decide. Both had their ups and downs. Learning the information was faster and streamline, but it was all technical data. Spending time with the princess and learning about the fighter over time would offer her more in-depth understanding of her, rather than a compilation of Zelda's bests and worst points. But it would be time consuming and it would take her away from her work.

The thought of work reminded her of extremely unpleasant events. Less than two months ago, she had finally destroyed one of her worst enemies to date: the Phazon beast Dark Samus. Another reason she decided to participate was to get away from all the demands for her work and forget those events and put it all aside. But even with the constant stream of combat these past few days, it still failed to distract her from the horrible nightmares that still plagued her during sleepless nights. Remembering the images made her skin crawl.

'Maybe I should just stick around,' she thought to herself. She pondered on it for a while more, deciding she needed more time to recuperate from dealing with Metroid Prime, Dark Samus, and Phazon. Perhaps staying here and learn from the real thing was the best thing she could do for now. Lost in thought, Samus stumbled back as she realized that she'd bumped into someone.

"Pardon me," the person she had bumped into apologized.

"No problem," she mumbled, taking a look at the person she had bumped into she realized was none other than Zelda herself. Smiling wryly, Samus said, "Funny running into you. I was actually looking for you."

"Oh? May I ask what it is you wish to speak to me about?" Zelda politely asked, curiosity flickering lightly in her eyes, along with something else Samus couldn't exactly figure out.

"Is your offer for dinner still up?"

**A/N: Well I'm back, and here's the start of a massive revision and overhaul of the story. For those of you who've been keeping track with this story, I've left the original up, but changed the title slightly so I can use the original title for this version.**

**You'll recognise a lot of the scenes, some of them you won't. Also some scenes I've completely taken out because it doesn't match the way I've imagined Samus would behave. I've also added new scenes, or expanded on them to really flesh out Samus and Zelda throughout my story.**

**You'll also notice in later chapters that I've altered the dynamics of their relations. I hope that you guys will enjoy this particular iteration of their relationship.**

**With the addition of Metroid Other: M, I've elected to incorporate certain aspects of the game. Most specifically the animation style of how Samus deploys her armour. And don't worry it won't be the semi-angst Samus that was portrayed in that game. However, I do imagine the way Samus was animated in that game to be like the eldest daughter of Samus if she were to have a kid.**

**Anyways, so begins a massive revision of my story. **


	2. Chapter 2

**My Dream, My Life**

**Chapter II**

Samus sighed for the umpteenth time today. Waiting in the foyer of Smash Mansion, the complex that housed every single Smasher to date, they'd agree to meet up at 1800 hours. It was now 1755. Samus blankly stared at the wall in front of her, fidgeting in the clothes she wore. She wished could've worn something a bit less restrictive, but Zelda had explicitly said she was to wear something casual, and appropriate for a restaurant. Admittedly the huntress could've just ignored the princess but she wasn't stupid. Acquiescing Samus had opted for a pair of black leather pants, black runners, a white tank-top that left her midriff bare, and a black leather jacket.

"This might be more than I bargained for," she muttered to herself. While she had planned for dinner she hadn't planned for something like this. Something told her she was about to step onto a one-way path. The idea bothered her to the point she wondered if she should just back out and leave her curiosity and questions unanswered.

"Good evening, Miss Aran," a regal voice greeted Samus. Glancing up, Samus raised a surprised eyebrow at Zelda's new attire. White knee length skirt hung snugly on her hips complimented by a creamy pink button blouse, topped with a simple jacket that seemed to bring together the entire ensemble. All of the royal jewellery was gone only to be replaced by a pair of simple earrings that hung off at the base of her pointed ears. Her hair was still done up in the same way, save for the ribbons that had held the long strands of hair that framed her face. If she didn't already know Zelda was a princess, she would've believed that she was looking at a normal woman, albeit a very well dressed one.

"You look different," Samus put it simply.

"Thank you," Zelda happily accepted compliment. "Shall we go? I've already made reservations." Samus nodded and followed Zelda's lead.

Walking towards the city Samus pondered about the young woman next to her and what she'd seen. Zelda called herself and carried herself like a princess, yet she hardly acted like one; at least a conventional or stereotypical one. She was more like a wolf in sheep's clothing; posing as something she was most likely not. And yet the way she walked, talked, and behaved pointed towards royal upbringing. The strange part was she acted more like a well raised king or prince. She'd never seen a queen or princess act like this. Princess Peach fell under this category, and Princess Zelda didn't. Was it possible the brunette next to her was some rare oddity? Or perhaps it was the way royalty was raised in her world?

And there was what the huntress had seen in the ring. It was as if the princess was another person entirely. The changes were minute but combined it made her a much different fighter from the original data. Whoever trained her understood the combat applications of Zelda's magic, and rectified her failings since Samus last saw the princess fight. What Zelda lacked physically made up for it with magical prowess. Samus wondered how effective Zelda would become if she added decent hand-to-hand combat skills with her already substantial magical prowess. The idea brought shivers to her spine at the very thought of it. It could prove to be an interesting battle. And possibly a challenge with enough training.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda asked, pulling Samus from her thoughts.

Samus, however, shook her head. "Just random thoughts."

"I see." She said nothing else along that vein as she continued on forward. "If I may ask, would you mind telling me about yourself?"

"What's there to know?" the huntress replied.

"I just wish to get to know you better," Zelda casually replied. "That is the purpose of this outing, isn't it? You wish to get to know me, and I wish to get to know you."

Samus shrugged indifferently. While it may have been Zelda's intent for an equal trade, she had no intensions of giving anything away. Nothing important, at least.

"You already know who I am, Samus Aran, Galactic Federation bounty hunter. Been in the business for about 5 years. I was born on the planet K-2L. Grew up learning about war and fighting. Spent some time in the military before becoming a bounty hunter. Been competing for a few seasons. And here I am now. That's me in a nutshell."

"I see," Zelda commented, deciding not to press further unless Samus was willing. Taking a quick breath, she decided to fulfill her part of the agreement. "As you already know, I am Princess Zelda, the current ruling body of Hyrule. I grew up in a relatively sheltered lifestyle for quite some time, learning how to be a princess, how to harness and control my powers, learning politics, and the ways of the kingdom, among other things. My life became somewhat more interesting when I had met Link."

"What's the story behind that?" Samus asked.

"That is a story for another time," Zelda plainly answered, before continuing on. "After that particular adventure, Link was soon called upon by the League to participate in their competitions. After his first time here, he invited me along to see what the league had to offer. I was originally planning to only be a spectator, but circumstances, again another story, led me to participating in the tournaments and competitions. Actually that was what prompted me to advance my studies in the combat applications of magic. Since then I've continued to train more and more actively for these competitions. Unfortunately, due to my constraints as the ruling body of Hyrule, I can only come to these festivities once every 4 seasons." Samus said nothing, opting to simply listen to the princess speak.

"As you can possibly surmise, I'm in the middle of my annual outing to the league. Sadly, it lasts only for two weeks, but I try to make the most of it."

"But why come here?" Samus asked.

"Call it…a vacation of sorts," she answered wistfully. "It's an opportunity to leave behind life as a princess, and just be Zelda for a little while. Unfortunately, many continue to pay the respect due to my title. While it is nice to know there are people who recognize my title for who I am, I often come back home dissatisfied. I hardly meet people who see past the title."

"Is that all?" she asked, a bit surprised but not particularly impressed by her story. But there was a tinge of something else. It almost sounded as if she didn't like her life.

"I know it's not particularly interesting," Zelda admitted, "but it's my reason of being here. To get away from it all, hopefully meet new people, and somewhat see how I stand against champions of other worlds and dimensions." Throughout she had yet to drop that pleasant smile.

"Sounds like some sap story of trying to find adventure in places you shouldn't be in," Samus bluntly put it, not caring if Zelda took offence to it or not.

"If that is your opinion," Zelda simply stated. Samus mentally noted the response, deeming she either hid her emotions well or knew how to roll with the punches. She was inclined to consider the former.

The ever steady smile on Zelda's lips never left as she calmly walked through the outskirts of Smash City. She couldn't help but feel great amusement and accomplishment within her. She'd been able to draw Samus out to dinner with her. And now she was seeing if she couldn't get the stoic huntress to open up a bit and try to engage her in conversation. Maybe then she'd be a bit more forthright with her answers.

"What about you?" Zelda asked after a moment of silent. "Why do you compete in the League?"

"For this tournament, it was the money," she answered, going for the short and simple answers. "I came here for a challenge. But it got boring after a while, so I stopped coming. Not really worth the time." Zelda had to agree. She'd seen Samus fight, and no one could really compare to her.

"What do you plan to do with the money and title?" the princess asked.

"Pay off debts, upgrade my ship, and anything else I need; supplies and stuff," she explained. "I could care less about that damn belt."

"I suppose not," Zelda agreed, nodding her head. "However, there will be champions who will attempt to vie for your belt now that you have been deemed Brawler of Brawlers."

"Let them challenge me," Samus muttered under her breath. She wasn't pleased that she had gotten a title she did not want. But sadly it had been a necessary step in order to obtain the money she needed. "I'll just beat them and get back to work."

"You're quite blunt, aren't you?" Zelda commented.

"And?" Samus asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just an observation," Zelda calmly stated. Her eyes wandered, looking between the various shops and restaurant for the one she was looking for. "You do not seem to be one who holds back her tongue, nor do you seem to the type to try to 'soften' the blow."

"It's not like I particularly care," Samus replied shrugging her shoulder. "So I don't know how to 'talk to people'," emphasizing with air quotes. "I'm paid to hunt or kill bounties, not tell someone it's going to be alright when they're right on death's door."

"That is true," the princess agreed. "I must admit, you are also very confident with yourself."

A pregnant pause befell them as the huntress processed the princess's words. "You have to be," she spoke, in a quieter tone that she'd have liked. It brought memories and thoughts she'd rather not dwell on. "If not," she continued, in a much stronger voice, "the galaxy'll just rip you apart."

"You've lived a harsh life, haven't you?"

"More than you can truly imagine princess." She left the vague comment there, not bothering to continue. It was her business anyhow. There was no need to tell the princess anything. That was a part of her that she had long buried. There was no need to go grave digging.

"I apologise if I have offended you," the young princess diplomatically stated, honestly hoping that she hadn't treaded on something overly personal.

The huntress shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like you knew. Besides I've made peace with it a long time ago." An outright lie, but as long as the princess accepted the answer she didn't care.

"Let me ask you a question now: why the interest in me?" Samus asked. She watched the princess silently mull over the question. Her perpetual smile faded off somewhat, as her brow furrowed in thought.

The princess turned to the huntress and said, "You interest me, Samus." Noting her surprise and confusion, she elaborated. "No one knows a thing about you, besides your battle prowess. You have no friends to speak of. You interact with no one, and no one has had the courage to approach you." Zelda looked away thoughtfully for a moment. "There's a myth that you'd shoot whoever tried to approach you. However, as far as I can tell, that myth is just that."

"So basically you want to get to know me for some motive you won't tell me," the blonde surmised.

"Essentially."

"That's just great," Samus sighed, bringing a hand up and rubbing her forehead. Noting the princess suddenly stopped, Samus followed her gaze. Ahead of them laid a stone staircase leading up to one of the more upstanding restaurants in town. It was also then she realized that they were in the higher end of the city.

"Paulander," she muttered to herself, reading the sign written in an elegant script. Samus examined the dress code, glad that she had decided to forgo her usual attire.

"Shall we?" Zelda invited with a motion of her arms. Samus nodded, and the two of them quietly ascended the stairs.

Following Zelda's lead, they approached the receptionist who gave them a warm smile and greeting. "Welcome ladies, and how may I help you today?"

"Reservation for Zelda of Hyrule," the princess answered.

The receptionist took a moment to look through his book before finding the reservation. "Of course, the table you have requested is ready. Just step on the transport pad and it will take you directly to your table." Tapping a button on the podium, a teleporter appeared before them.

Samus gave her an inquisitive look, but Zelda simply smiled and stepped on and waited for her to follow suit. Deciding not to question or argue with the princess the huntress followed and waited to see where this would take them. She quickly found herself on one of the upper floors. Their table for two was a window seat booth that afforded them a commanding view over the entirety of Smash City, including downtown.

Samus let a low whistle slip past her lips. She could see the glistening utopia from here. Pristine glass reflected whatever sunlight remained, while the streets below began to glow as street lamps flicker on. The buildings themselves were a harmonious display of functionality and aesthetics. Pleasing to the eyes but built to last. Dotted throughout the city, she could see the lights from various Smash stadiums as the late night matches progressed. Occasional flares of colours flashed cross the open roofs, creating that familiar feel of whenever she sat behind her ship command console. And even further and beyond the city, the ocean filled the background washed in a layer of orange and red as the sun slowly descended below the horizon. The skies above twinkled as the stars began to fill the sky, transition from the vibrate light of the sun, to the calm soothing light of the stars and the moon.

She stares up at the night sky. Even to this day the night sky continues to amaze her.

"I'm glad this choice sits with you well," Zelda commented from beside Samus. Her eyes carefully observed the huntress, watching her, studying her, learning about her.

"I like the night," Samus answered.

"What about it do you like?" the princess inquires, curious as to what aspect could've bought such a calming expression to Samus' face.

The huntress shrugs in response. "Don't know really. It's…relaxing. I just like look at the stars. It's different on every world I visit."

"Then perhaps I can one day show you the night sky of my world," Zelda kindly offered. "You can see far more there, without all this pollution," she added, absently waving towards the city before them. Samus chuckled. It was definitely nicer to see a sky untouched by technology and artificial light.

Samus took note of their surroundings. Music from a live band played in the background. Many patrons took up the window seats to enjoy the view. In front of the small a stage couples danced on the wooden floor, slowly swaying to the music. Sitting center of it all a bar was set up serving drinks. She idly wondered if they served drinks from her part of the universe.

"Shall we sit?" Zelda said, indicating to the two chairs that waited for them. Samus silently nodded and seated herself across Zelda.

"If I may ask," Zelda began, "where did you obtain your armour?"

Glancing down at the symbol faintly branded on the back of her hand, she pondered on answering. It wasn't something she often spoke of, and top of that, it was what many would call a trade secret. But to her, it had a more personal meaning to her. It was in essence a part of her body, something that she didn't like to disclose to just anyone, even if the person who was asking was someone who intrigued her greatly. It was also a very special treasure to her, one that she wasn't willing to give away without a fight

"If you do not wish to answer, then it's alright," said Zelda, taking notice of Samus's hesitation. "There's no need for you to force yourself to answer."

Samus took the exit glad that she didn't have to divulge that particular information. "Thanks," she plainly stated, despite actually being grateful not having to answer. "It's…somewhat of a private matter," she suddenly added. She wasn't sure why, but she supposed it was a way of returning the gesture. It felt strange to even say it at all.

Zelda nodded in understanding.

Soon a waiter arrived offering them menu's and glasses of water.

They silently read the menus for a time before Samus decided to ask questions of her own. "Tell me about your training. I've never seen you use magic before. Your CQB's shit unless you use that other form of yours, and even then it isn't worth much in a real fight."

The princess blinked a few times in momentary confusion before understanding the question. If she showed any indicating to Samus' language she said nothing. "My training was relatively simple actually," Zelda replied, taking a sip of water. "As you've pointed out my hand-to-hand is lacklustre. However, what I was trained in I excelled. Archery, horseback, and magical applications was what I trained. In terms of my magic, I was taught every known conceivable aspect of it since I was very young: Defensive, offensive, healing, support, teleportation, elementals, and a myriad of other means of using my magic. And I might add that I still continue to learn.

"However, although I was born with magical aptitude, it took me years to where I am now. After my first attempt in the ring and some incidents back home, I came to realize I would need to learn the more offensive applications of my magic."

"Which led you to that match today," the huntress said.

"Correct," the princess said.

"How long have you been training?"

"Over the past two years," Zelda said. "But it's been insufficient. My duties preclude me from spending more than an hour at most a session, and even then the sessions have been sparse and I'll go weeks at a time before I find another opportunity to train. Although the results have been quite…fruitful, as you witnessed, I know I can do more."

'If this is the result from possibly only a few months worth of training, how much better could she be with a year of steady training,' Samus mentally wondered. Taking a few gulps of water, her continued run this particular piece of information through her mind. She filed it away, updating her mental profile of the princess.

"What of you?" Zelda asked back, drawing Samus from her thoughts. "What did your training consist of?"

Samus restrained a sigh that threatened to come up. Yet another personal question. It felt strange that Zelda seemed comfortable answering questions about herself, but she was not. The huntress wanted her questions answered, but the more she asked the more she asked back. It was a situation of give and take, but this was more than she was willing to give. There were a lot of things she didn't want to answer. Not now, not ever, to absolutely everyone.

"If you'd like, you can ask the questions you want, and you can choose which questions I ask to answer," Zelda offered Samus. "It is clear I am asking sensitive topics, and I do not wish to impose any discomfort upon you."

"That would be…better," Samus replied, going through her mind what she was, and was not, willing to answer. "Although…I am curious, are you the primary diplomat in your world?"

"It would be more accurate to say I am the _only_ diplomat where I come from," she answered back, correcting the error.

Samus hummed in understanding, staring at Zelda across the table. "Isn't that a bit much? You already have a kingdom to control."

"It is…difficult, I must admit. However, between myself and Link, I am the most qualified to do so."

"But why? Surely you have others who can do it. I mean you actively trade with the Hands, so why not have someone do the work for you?"

"Because they refuse to communicate with anyone who isn't competing," was the princess' answer.

Samus scoffed. "Typical Hands," she muttered. "That's a load of bullshit. Already busy as is and they ask you to also talk to them?"

"What else can I do save for ceasing negotiations?" she asked. "And it would be far too expensive to end our trade agreements. As sad as it is to say, our economy has become dependent on trades with the Hands."

Samus shrugs. "Nothing that can be solved over dinner. Sorry I asked. Not exactly my place to tell you what to do."

"It's alright, Samus," the princess said.

"Then let me ask you this instead: Why don't you like being a princess all the time?" She watched Zelda suddenly freeze at the question before looking away. It seemed that she hit a soft spot for the princess.

Zelda pursed her lips as she stared at the city bellow. She mulled over the question. A few times she glanced at the bounty hunter, noting how she patiently waited for her answer. Despite her rougher personality she was glad of the look of understanding in her eyes. There were some answers that she also didn't want to reveal. But somehow she felt compelled to answer, to tell her. To finally tell someone about her thoughts and feelings on the matter. She huffed in amusement. It hit her that they were complete strangers to one another, asking personal questions that, while harmless for most people, were apparently hard to answer.

"How about…a trade, of sorts," Samus offered. "I tell you about my armour, and you can answer my question."

"Samus, I don't want to impose or anything."

The huntress shrugged. "It's only fair. Besides… it's not like anyone we tell it to could really use it against us."

"I…I suppose that is true…would you like to go first or me?"

The two fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them looked at the other, mentally debating to go first or wait until the other volunteered.

Samus sighed tiredly and said, "Guess I'll go first." Holding up her left hand, she allowed the sigil to glow momentarily. "I also have one on my chest and back," she said, pulling her jacket aside to allow Zelda to see the glow through the shirt. "I was a kid when I got this. The Chozo, a bird-like race, took me in when my home world was attacked. But I could've had survived on Zebes as a normal human. So they infused me with their DNA and gave me this suit. It's the last thing I have of them."

"The last thing?"

The huntress nodded. She stared out the window as she continued to talk. "I'm not sure if there are any Chozo out there, but…of the ones who took me in, they're dead."

"I'm…sorry to hear that."

Samus shrugged. "I'm not. I miss them, but if it weren't for them I wouldn't have done the things I've done. I'll probably see them again when I'm dead. Not that I plan to die anytime soon," she quickly added.

"You don't strike me as the type to believe in the afterlife," Zelda commented, amused to hear such a thing.

Again, the blonde shrugged. "So what about you? What's your story?"

The princess took a moment to calm her thoughts and pull them together. She remained contemplative for some time before she spoke again. "To be honest, I didn't think that you'd notice my slip," she said, laughing ruefully. "The truth is I hate it. Although I am the ruling body of Hyrule with the power to demand anything, I am trapped in a duty I cannot escape from. I cannot go where I want without an escort, I cannot train without a supervisor, and I cannot even go out riding, in my own kingdowm, without an escort. I am trapped in such a world, forced to maintain a regal image as the head of Hyrule, where I am waited on hand and foot."

She looked out the window wistfully. In her eyes Samus could see a look of longing from the princess. "But here, I can shed that bit of me away. Here, I am just Zelda of Hyrule. I am not a princess, not a member of a royal family. Here, I can just be someone who wishes to be free, if only for a little while. I cannot change the way I act, or who I am. I am I. And it is here where I can truly say that."

Samus leaned back into her seat. She grinned, somewhat. It was odd to hear someone wishing they could live a different life. It was refreshing at the same time. It was nice to know that there were princesses who realized the pressure of their positions, what it meant and the sacrifices that it demanded.

"Aren't there others who could do the job?" the huntress asked. "Surely you have ministers who can step up."

To her surprise, Zelda shook her head. "There is no one neither qualified nor capable of ruling the country. Politically yes. But I refer to the magical aspects of my kingdom. I am the center piece of a vast and complex system that protects my land. Without me, my people would be helpless against anything that would attempt to invade my kingdom."

"That's…quite a hefty task."

The princess nodded solemnly. "And it is a task I will eventually pass down to my successor, who will also bear the burden of never being able to leave Hyrule again to protect it."

"So…how is it then that you are able to leave?"

Zelda smiled in response. "That was a rather ingenious discovery of mine. By condensing my magic into a gem over a year, I can charge it to power the seals that protect Hyrule for a short duration. Generally I power it enough for 3 weeks to provide some leeway. Afterwards, I would return and charge it again for another year.

"Incidentally discovering I could store magical energies through a medium was an accident," she added as an afterthought.

"A useful discovery though," Samus commented. The blonde relaxed into her seat. "You know, you're quite the princess."

"I would like to think I'm more than the average or stereotypical princess," Zelda quipped.

"I think I like you," she said. "Just might stick here a while longer. If anything, it's nice to know there are princesses out there who are actually 3-dimensional."

"I assume your experiences have been less than…bearable?"

Samus snorted derisively, remembering previous encounters. "Major understatement."

The two settled into a comfortable silence, each left to their own thoughts. Samus looked out the window watching the city go by. She watched the princess in the corner of her eye, noting how the brunette seemed more relaxed than before. The huntress also noted how her chest felt somewhat lighter as well. She'd often heard sharing one's burdens could be good for her, and ease some of the tension. The problem was it required someone she could trust. She'd long since had anyone she could trust.

But the strange part was Zelda, for all intents and purposes, was a complete stranger. And she to her. And yet they both freely and willingly brought up something rather personal. She chuckled at the absurdity of it all. But perhaps that was the interesting part of it all. The princess was surprisingly different. She liked it. She seemed educated, and well aware of who she was and her part in the world. Not everyone could say the same.

As the waiter returned to take their oders, Samus immediately thought that perhaps saying behind for a couple more days wouldn't be so bad after all.

**A/N: And so ends chapter 2 of the revision. So what are your thoughts?**

**Also personally for me whenever I'm reading this I'm imagining Jennifer Hale's voice as Samus, and Rie Tanaka's Lacus Clyne voice as Zelda. So I'm curious, who do you guys imagine as the heroines of my story?**

**Absolution Ark: Well hopefully enough updates will bury the original version into the second page so that it doesn't appear. Either way I hope that you'll continue to enjoy this story as I continue to work on it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**My Dream, My Life**

**Chapter III**

The moment Samus entered her room she tossed her jacket aside and fell flat on her bed. Tonight had been interesting. Zelda wasn't like any princess she'd met before. And it actually felt nice to just go out and spend time with someone for the sake of casually getting to know someone. It was a refreshing change to meeting someone for business; or someone with a hidden agenda.

Dinner quickly turned into an outing of sorts. At Zelda's insistence they took a walk around the city milling about, going wherever Zelda's feet took them. Their conversations had mostly been one-sided. Samus occasionally gave her input but otherwise had remained silent.

"Friends," she muttered to herself. At some point Zelda brought up her desire friendship again. Or more precisely, 'I enjoyed tonight. I hope this marks the beautiful friendship,' was what she said. The word felt foreign on her tongue. She didn't have anyone she could call that anymore. And the only people she interacted with were clients or drunken slobs because she needed information. Otherwise it was just her, her ship, and her suit.

True it was a lonely life, but she'd grown desensitized to it a long time ago. After leaving Zebes, becoming a Galactic Federation bounty hunter, losing her Chozo family, and her friends from her days with the GF military, she came to grips with being alone. But suddenly Zelda barges in out of nowhere and try to strike up a friendship between them. It was strange, to say the least. But she had also said to the princess she'd stick around for a while longer. She laughed at the absurdity of it. But then again Zelda was proving to be someone she could see herself having an intelligent conversation with.

That was always a nice bonus.

Letting out a sigh, she sank further into her bed. She wasn't exactly sure of what to do tomorrow. She had originally planned to leave tonight. But now saying she was going to stay it would probably be bad form to leave. And so she found herself wondering what was there to do for the next few days. She could always train. It would do her good to keep her skills sharp. But even she could only devote so many hours to training.

So lost in her thoughts she almost missed her suit telling her she had a message. She considered ignoring it, but then decided to see what it was about. Propping up on her elbows the back of her left hand glowed and brought up a small holo-screen. She raised an eyebrow in surprise and confusion as she read.

Samus huffed sourly and muttered, "Not even a day and they already want a piece of me." Three more messages came up, all of them challenges. Samus buried her face in the sheets and groaned. It was one thing to be challenged. What bothered her and had her undecided between laughing and crying was how pitifully the messages were written. Not only had they reduced themselves to insulting her, it was some of the crudest things she'd seen in a long time. She peeked at her hand, glaring at the display before her. She was strongly tempted to just ignore it. But then she smiled lightly, remembering how she was trying to figure out what to do with her spare time.

"Guess I owe you idiots," she chuckled. Quickly answering the challenges, she divested herself of her day clothes and tossed on a t-shirt and shorts before falling into bed again. Smirking to herself she laughed at the coincidence. Perhaps staying wouldn't be so bad after all.

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The next morning found Samus on the grand patio that overlooked the front lawn of Smash Mansion, and the city before it. Seated in one of the small tables against the railing, she quietly ate breakfast. The morning breeze was nice, but it did nothing to calm her thoughts. Even good food and relaxing atmosphere failed to keep the thoughts of her upcoming challenges away. Or more precisely, the whole situation of it.

After a good night's sleep she quickly came to realise the absurdity of the situation. First was how all four letters were poor attempts to get her angry. Then there was the fact they even had the gall to challenge her, after she had soundly beaten them. Well one of them. Lastly, she couldn't believe that she actually _accepted_ their challenge. She accepted! Out of the blue she agreed. She had quietly berated herself of such a rookie kneejerk reaction as she had showered that morning. While relenting that she did want something to back up her claim, she probably could've found something better.

Leaning back in her seat she shook her head and sighed. "How stupid can you get?" she muttered.

Finished with her meal Samus stood up and stood on the edge of the patio and leaned against the railing. She stared at the view before her. When she first saw this a few years ago, she grudgingly admitted that the Hands had taste. Whoever designed the entire property had aesthetics in their mind for everything in this mansion. Her eyes roamed the horizon for a time, just watching the sun lazily climb the morning sky.

Getting up she turned to leave when something down below caught her eye. Glancing down she noticed Zelda sitting by one of the fountains that adorned the front lawn, playing some strange blue instrument. Samus strained her eyes, barely picking up the hollow tunes that came from Zelda. Something about it all resonated in her, and without realizing it she quickly scaled down the face of the building and approached the princess. By the time she realized what she was doing she was already standing before the princess.

Instead of turning around, she listened. Few words could describe the oddly relaxing tune she heard. Unthinkingly she sat down next to the princess. She felt strangely calm. It was as if the world around here didn't really matter anymore. Samus smiled lightly finding the distraction welcoming. And somehow she started to imagine a small audience before her, young children entranced by the music the princess produced from her instrument, swaying back and forth to the slow melodies Zelda played. Some seemed to seemingly drift off to the music, leaning against one another as the tune took them to worlds far away from the now and then.

And then it hit her.

The perfect way to describe what she heard. It was like the slow caress of a mother as she lulled her child to sleep. In spite of the memories the thought brought up, she couldn't help but smile remembering her own vague memories.

As Zelda brought the music to a slow and meaningful end, Samus watched as the images slowly fade away. Sitting up at her full height, she finally faced the princess and offered her a nod in greeting.

"Samus," she replied in kind.

Silence settled upon the two of them, save for the constant trickling of water from the fountain. The blonde stared at the princess for a time, before suddenly asking, "Was that a lullaby of sorts?"

Zelda nodded as she produced a small cloth from her pocket. "My mother used to play it when I was young," said the princess, using the cloth to wipe the mouthpiece of the instrument. "It's always helped me sleep."

"I see," said Samus.

"The song has no title, but is widely recognised as 'The Royal Lullaby' by my people," Zelda calmly explained. "Do you remember any lullabies that your mother used to sing or play to you?" Samus shook her head. All she really had left were vague memories and a gaping hole that had yet to close.

Oblivious to the turmoil within the huntress, the young princess continued. "I see…that's too bad. I believe that everyone should have at least one memory their mother they cherish…at least that is what I believe."

"Sometimes, they leave behind memories you'd rather forget," Samus darkly responded in a low whisper, clenching her fists tightly.

This time, Zelda did notice Samus' behaviour and tilted her head in concern. "Did…something happen to your mother?"

"Nothing you need to know," Samus quickly said, suppressing the memories of that day.

Zelda stared hard at Samus for a few moments before her eyes widened in recognition. She had seen those eyes before. "You…you lost your mother as well," she quietly whispered in understanding. "You…witnessed her death."

"Not something I like talking about," Samus quietly stated looking away. It was still a topic, even to this day, she wasn't comfortable about. She wasn't even sure if she truly got over it.

"I can understand," Zelda replied, her eyes conveying the remnants of an age-old sadness. "The pain, the anguish, the sadness of her death, I too know of it. I had to watch as she died a slow, painful death from an illness; one that neither magic nor medicine could cure."

Samus chose to say nothing. There was nothing to say. While Zelda could related it was only so much. They lost their mothers under different circumstances. She leaned forward on her knees and stared aimlessly at the grass. She didn't like thinking about her mother too often.

Zelda laid a hand on Samus' arm. "I don't know the circumstances around your mother's death, but know that I understand." She offered the huntress a wan smile. "How old were you when it happened?"

Samus regarded the princess for a time, mentally debating whether or not to answer. While she wasn't completely pressing on the issue, the fact she asked irked her somewhat. She had specifically said she didn't like talking about it and yet the princess still asked. Seeing Zelda look at her patiently she felt that urge to just answer the question. But in the end she decided not to, and looked ahead again.

Sensing Samus' desire to not speak, the princess relented. "I suppose it's too much to ask of you." Again Samus remained silent. Picking up the instrument off her lap, Zelda brought it to her lips and began to play again. While before the tune was more soothing, this one took a deeper tone, akin to that of a temple. The lower notes resounded within the huntress next to her, who tilted her head to watch her play. The princess closed her eyes and played, letting the sounds of her music carry the two of them to worlds beyond the here and now.

Samus watched as Zelda played. Despite the seemingly sombre tune she could see how relaxed the princess became, lost in the music she produced. She'd never really heard such a thing before. With the Chozo she hardly had time to listen to music. When she got older the sounds she'd hear most were the heavy bass, fast rhythms, and wild sounds people seemed to enjoy these days. It was nice to know that such music exists.

She glanced down at her wrist noting the time. She had some time left, but not much. She stood from her seat, drawing the princess from her music. "Sorry, need to head to the stadium."

"Yes, for your rematch," said Zelda, standing as well. "If you'd like, I could teleport you directly to the stadium."

Samus paused for a moment, surprised by the sudden offer. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, however, she accepted the offer. She took hold of the princess' hand. Said princess closed her eyes, and in a flash the two of them disappeared, reappearing at the entrance of the stadium.

"I wish you good luck," Zelda offered the warrior, and then proceeded towards the stands.

Samus watched Zelda's back as she calmly walked down the hallway before making a turn. Zelda continued to surprise her. While her original intension may have been to scout out the princess Samus found the princess far more interesting than she gave credit for. She chuckled at the thought. It had been a while since she actually found anyone engaging. She'd long since disregarded her previous assessment of Zelda, and considered her an unknown. At least for now.

Walking along the corridor towards the staging room, she pushed aside her thoughts of the princess for now. As the sigil on her hand and back glowed activating her suit, Samus couldn't wait to speak to the princess again.

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Emerging from the hallways and into the sunlit stands, Zelda winced and shielded her eyes warding off the glare. She blinked away the daze and looked around momentarily quickly finding Link and Fox sitting together. Making her way towards them her thoughts trailed back towards the huntress whose match was about to being. Despite her aloof behaviour she'd come to realize that there was more to the huntress than meets the eye. Less than a day and she felt incredibly drawn to her, more so than when she first laid eyes on her. It surprised and perplexed her to no end. What was it about the huntress that had pulled her in inextricably so?

"Princess Zelda," Link greeted, nodding politely towards her.

"Morning," Fox greeted with a simple wave towards the princess.

"Link, Fox," Zelda politely greeted in return, and sat down joining them. "Less than a day and I see that someone wishes to claim the Brawler of Brawlers title."

"Yeah well DK's not too happy Samus took the title, so he's itching to take it from her," Fox sighed, shaking his head a little. "The big guy's got potential…when he's actually trained for it. Samus is just going to mop the floor with it."

Immediately a fanfare began to play across the stadium bringing it to a mighty roar as the announcer spoke. Rhythmic music played in the background as the announcer welcomed the guests. It quickly followed up as the voice began to introduce the fighters, calling up Donkey Kong first.

Bursting forth from a teleport platform, Donkey Kong let out a loud whoop as he yelled "BANANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SLAMMAAAAAAAAAA!" A confident smirk was pasted across his face, lapping around the field waving to everyone. Even as he returned to his starting position, he worked the crowd into a frenzy as they cheered, hollered, screamed, and hooted loudly for the mighty monkey as he stood ready to face off against the Brawler of Brawlers.

The music eventually transitioned into a majestic fanfare as it played throughout. Another teleport platform appeared as the announcer introduced Samus with as much ceremony as it had with Donkey Kong.

Calmly stepping off of her platform, Samus didn't even spare the crown a glance as the stadium cheered for the champion. She cared little for the crowds. If they found entertainment in her battles, then so be it. Her main concern was taking care of this particular oaf who believed that he would "Banana Slamma" her straight into the ground. Not exactly a wise choice of words on his part. He would pay dearly; that much was certain. And she had a plan in mind that would spell pain for every last fibre in his body.

From above, Zelda watched Samus stare down her foe. She didn't need to see beyond the visor to know the blonde was staring at Donkey Kong, waiting for the buzzer to start. Her posture was relaxed but ready, like a compressed spring, ready to be released. On the other end the ape was bouncing on his feet, a wide smirk plastered across his face. He was ready. He was ready. The princess felt sorry for him. He was going to lose, horribly. Despite his greater muscle mass and strength, which no doubt would serve him well, she feared Samus already knew how to fight him. If her profession and region of space was any indication, she's fought and survived far worse threats than Donkey Kong.

"This won't end well for him," Fox muttered. Next to him Link nodded. Although they had the utmost respect towards Donkey Kong, running headlong into Samus was not something anyone could afford to do without a plan. Unfortunately, he had no plan.

"3!"

Samus simply placed her free hand on her hip as the counter began. Already the crowd could tell Samus had no respect towards the ape.

"2!"

"This is gonna be sweet," Donkey Kong muttered to himself, lowering himself for a big sprint. "I'll show her."

"1!"

"He just screwed himself," Fox sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

"GO!"

Immediately Donkey Kong bolted straight forward suddenly closing the distance. Everyone watched as within seconds, Donkey Kong entered striking distance.

"What the?" he exclaimed in bewilderment. He looked around frantically wondering where Samus had gone too. He barely had to think when an explosion suddenly threw him onto his back in a flash of blue. Quickly gathering his wits he rushed back onto his feet and turned around to see Samus stand straight back up from her Morph Ball form crossing her arms and shifting her weight on one knee. He growled angrily at the mockery of her stance, and charged straight in with a furious barrage of punches from his massive burly arms.

Samus easily ducked and dodged his attacks. Already she was bored and annoyed. She'd fought monsters bigger than him that were far more dangerous. Deciding to end the charade she started her lesson of why people shouldn't just blindly challenge someone. Grabbing a massive arm, she easily threw him one-armed over his shoulder slamming him hard onto the ground.

He bounded up onto his feet fairly quickly, only to be kicked in the back before seeing something leap over his head. By the time he recovered, Samus thrust her arm cannon into his face arming a missile which she promptly launched at point blank range. The impact and resulting explosion threw him a fair distance and skidded along before coming to a complete stop.

Rushing the monkey as he got up to his feet, Samus quickly began a furious assault of punches and kicks across the length of his body, quickly followed up by a vicious strike in the stomach. Samus smirked as he keeled over in pain. She followed up with a sweep, knocking him onto his front. Very casually, the huntress backed away to let the massive monkey stagger back up onto his feet, only to barrage him with a hail of laser fire. She watched him as he stumbled back. His defences were shattered as he was forced back against some of the existing scenery as he was pounded relentlessly by the champion. He opened his eyes when he realized that the attack had stopped, only to watch in horror as a giant ball of energy hurtled towards him and exploded.

Samus watched as Donkey Kong smoking body pitched forward flat on his face. She calmly approached him and casually picked him up. And with all her strength, she threw Donkey Kong as high up as she could and immediately armed a Super Missile. Her target set she discharged the missile watching it explode on contact, sending the monkey flying as he screamed, falling clear over the edge, eliminating the first of what would be her unfortunate victims.

"AND THE WINNER IS, SAMUS!" the announcer declared. The crowd broke into an even bigger frenzy, especially after having bore witness to a particularly brutal assault on Samus' part.

"He's going to be angry about that," Fox chuckled, as he applauded along with the rest of the crowd. "Although Samus did go a big overboard."

"He received what he had asked for," Zelda simply said, rising from her seat and starting to make her way down to the exit.

"Princess, where are you going?!" Link called out after her.

"To change and train," she simply answered before continuing her way out.

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Samus promptly left the stadium as soon as the match ended. She shook her head in disgust. That was one of four matches dealt with. "Why did I even bother?" she muttered. She'd already known that it was going to be a one-sided match. And yet she agreed. Sometimes she surprised herself.

Realized she didn't have anywhere else to go, and seeing no sign of Zelda, she made her way back towards Smash Mansion. The match couldn't even be considered a warm-up of any sorts. She may as well get in some training, she reasoned.

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With water, change of clothes, and other necessities stuffed in her duffle, Samus entered the massive gym underneath Smash Mansion. Loaded with state of the art equipment, including virtual simulators, she entered her usual simulator only to find it in use. She turned to leave when a familiar voice drew her attention. Looking back, Samus realized Zelda was using the simulator. Closing the door she leaned against the door and watched the princess fight against the training Alloys.

Dropping down on all fours ducking underneath one Alloy's punch, Zelda swept its feet out from underneath before picking it up with both hands and throwing it at the other two. She backpedalling she charged a fireball spell before quickly throwing it straight towards the Alloy's. The immediate explosion destroyed them. Three more immediately took their place and continued with their assault.

Zelda quickly threw up a shield around herself. In the instant they closed the distance she detonated the shield, knocking them back. Teleporting away from them she charged another spell until it reached critical mass. Without missing a beat she tossed it forward, exploding in front of them disintegrating them. The buzzer went off, ending of the session. The arena faded away, leaving behind the grid-patterned room.

Zelda fell to her knees panting heavily. Her arms trembled trying to support her weight. Exhausted she collapsed onto the floor where she laid there for a time. She honestly hadn't expected to survive the entire three minute session. By training she was a mage. She knew enough that she could handle one-on-one matches with great ease. Most people didn't know how to deal with her and her magical abilities; something she could exploit to her advantage. But the moment the tide of battle shifted to two-on-one or more, it would become that much harder for her to concentrate and form the spells she needed to combat them effectively.

Pushing off the wall, Samus glanced at the console noting with a mix of surprise and admiration of the difficultly level settings. While admittedly it took everything out of the princess in that session, the huntress had a far better idea of what the princess was capable now. While she was still a ways away from ever beating her in a match, she wouldn't have expected that the princess could do any of that. Pulling out a bottle from her bag she approached the princess and held out her hand.

The princess jumped in surprise she suddenly heard someone ask, "Need a hand?" Zelda looked up to see Samus leaned forward, with her hand held out. She reached out and grasped the blonde's hand, stumbling forward a bit as she was literally hauled onto her feet. Without thinking, she leaned forward and held onto the taller blond as support. Her grip tightened on Samus' shoulder as she struggled to keep standing, especially now that the adrenaline rush had worn off.

Wordlessly the huntress wrapped her arm around the princess and guided her towards a nearby bench. Depositing her on it, Samus handed the princess the bottle which she gratefully took. Nearly tearing off the cap she upended its contents. Samus watched as Zelda visibly sagged in relief as the water helped cool her down.

Zelda sighed in relief. Her breathing was starting to even out, and the burn in her arms and legs began to lessen, somewhat. For a moment, she closed her eyes as she tried to slow down her breathing and get her heart back under control. All the while, she could sense Samus simply standing there, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

Once she felt more in control, she wearily opened her eyes and looked up at the huntress. "How long have you been watching?"

"About the last 30 to 40 seconds of it," she answered with a shrug. "An impressive display of your magic but I think you know the weakness of that."

"It is much more difficult when fighting beyond one-on-one, due to the hectic nature of battle," Zelda calmly answered. "While effective in one-on-one due to my opponent's lack of understanding my magic, it is much more difficult to use due to the division in my concentration when I fight. I am well aware of my weakness, and my lack in hand-to-hand."

"You have the right idea training 3-on-1 to prepare for the possibility everyone will turn on you," Samus commented and immediately started to tinker with the settings.

"That is correct," Zelda replied. Noticing Samus tampering the controls, she tried to get up, only to fall back onto her seat. "What exactly are you doing?" she called out.

"I'm curious…how primitive is your world in terms of technology," Samus asked seemingly oblivious to the princess's question. She wondered how well versed the princess was in modern technology, considering her garb spoke of a much earlier era.

"It is still back in what you would call, The Medieval Ages," she answered, deciding to let Samus' interruption slip. She'd get back to that either way. "However, I have spent enough time to understand how to live in this world, but there always seem to be something new to learn."

"I see," said Samus as she finished operating the control display. "And to answer your question, I'm going to teach you some basic hand-to-hand combat."

It took a moment for Zelda to take in what Samus just said. And even then, all she was able to say was "Pardon me?"

"Like you said, you'd lose in hand-to-hand," the huntress bluntly stated. "If you'd like, I can teach you some basics. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

"I suppose" said Zelda, somewhat wary of the huntress' motives. "If I may ask, why are you helping me?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," replied the human with a simple shrug. "But as it stands it helps me kill time, and it gives me something to do. Either that or I go into a different training room and get bored with repetitive training exercises. Your choice."

The choice was easy enough. "I'd appreciate the help, Samus."

"Good, then let's get started," the blonde huntress snapped. She hit a button on the control console and stepped into the center of the training chamber. "I want you to watch and pay attention to my movements. I will perform a set of movements a few times, and then demonstrate the applications of the movements." From the corner of her eye, she watched the princess nod her head in understanding. Without preamble, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Falling into a stance she began her routine.

From the side, Zelda watched and studied. Her eyes took in the precision and fluidity of Samus' movements. Her mine studied and dissected what it saw, breaking it all down and understanding the logic. No movement was wasted. Not one iota of strength was misplaced. Each step, each move had purpose. There was hardly any excess movement. Her mind traced the blonde's movements, creating a series of images as she transitioned from one stance to the next, trying to memorize everything the huntress did.

Then suddenly Samus was suddenly surrounded by Alloys. The training dummies charged. The princess quickly realized that they were on a lower setting as Samus easily fended them off. It was then she realized the purpose of Samus' display. The entire set was geared towards self-defense. She watched as segments were used to deflect and parry incoming attacks. While basic, the princess quickly deduced this was likely the core principle behind anything else she'd learn from the huntress.

"Freeze program," commanded Samus. Instantly the Alloys came to a stop in mid movement. "Remove training units." The Alloys disappeared. She then turned to Zelda who wore an expression of awe, surprise, and understanding. She mentally smirked, glad that she had impressed upon the princess of how behind her combat capabilities were.

"A basic training exercise I learned as a kid," she explained. "With practice, you could easily do it blindfolded, and probably fight off most common soldiers with one hand.

"Now, I try to do what I just did." She then raised her hand to forestall any argument. "I don't expect you to get it right. I just want to see how good your memory is."

Zelda considered arguing, but then thought better on that. Instead she rose from her seat and assumed the stance that she remembered. Setting a moderate pace, she began to perform the sequence, despite her aching muscles. They remained in silence for a time as the Zelda continued. Everything felt clumsy and awkward, but she allowed herself some leeway, considering it was her first. She wasn't even sure she was doing it correctly. All she was doing was what she remembered, and what felt right. She completed the last part of the sequence and assumed the final stance. She slowly breathed out before standing up straight and looked over expectantly to Samus.

Said warrior said nothing for a time, opting to just simply stare at her. "That was…" she trailed off for a moment, leaving behind a pregnant pause as she tried to come up with the words to describe what she had witnessed. "Just how good is your memory?"

As if expecting the question, she said, "I have a near-perfect memory, and that was even before the Triforce of Wisdom was bestowed upon me and augmented my abilities."

"Triforce of Wisdom?" the huntress asked in confusion, emphasizing it with an arched eyebrow.

Zelda answered by showing the back of her right hand, and allowed magic to flow through. Moments later the back of her hand started to glow, revealing three golden triangles forming a larger triangle. Samus noted with some interest that the left triangle glow the brightest. She quickly surmised that was the Triforce of Wisdom that the princess was talking about.

"It's because of this," Zelda continued, "that I am able to process and absorb information at a far greater rate than most people ever can."

Samus rubbed her chin thoughtfully before adding her input. "With that ability, you could probably learn virtually anything within a matter of hours or days, instead of months or years."

"There is a limitation," the Hylian princess interjected, "While I am more than capable of processing information at a phenomenal rate, any physical application would still require training. I do not develop the instincts or flexibility to perform any given movement. I am just an incredibly fast learner."

"That just means more time to train," said the blonde. "Alright, I want you to repeat that, but this time slower. We'll work on the accuracy of your form before building up the speed."

"Before we begin, I would like to ask you of something," said Zelda, stalling the resuming of their session.

"What is it?"

The princess smiled lightly and asked, "Would you like to join me for dinner again?"


End file.
